Towel-rack



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. LIGHTBURNE, Jr.

TOWEL RACK Pateniwd Oct. 21, 1890;

III,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. LIGHTBURNE, Jr.

TOWEL RACK.

Patented Oct. 2-1, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STAFFORD LIGHTBURNE, JR, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TOWEL-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,019, dated October21, 1890.

Application filed February 1, 1890- Serial No. 338,855. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, STAFFORD LIGHTBURNE, Jr., of the city of St. Louis,in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Towel-Racks, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification.

This rack is intended especially for handtowels. The novelties are setforth in the claims.

Fig. I is a perspective view. Fig. II is a top view, part in horizontalsection. Fig. III is a top view,part in horizontal section, showing amodification. Fig. IV is a perspective view of a modification. Fig. V isa top view, part in section,of the form shown in Fig. IV.

The device will be shown and described in the preferred form, but may bemodified, as will be hereinafter set forth.

1 is a board or metal plate or strip, which may be made so thin as to beelastic, and which is so represented in Figs. I and II.

2 are screws by which the board or strip is attached to a fixed object.These screws may be at or near the middle, as seen in Fig. I, or at theends, as seen in Fig. II.

3 and t are brackets attached to the board or strip 1 and givingbearingto the gudgeons 5 of the rollers 6. These bars or rollers may havebulges 7 at the middle.

8 are pins fixed in the end brackets 3 and extending parallel with therollers 6 in such a position that the towel is held between the bulgedparts 7 of the rollers 6 and the pins 8.

It will be seen that in the absence of the towel the pins 8 are incontact with the bulges 7. Consequently to admit the towel they must beforced asunder. The elasticity of the parts admits of this. In Figs. Iand II the board or strip I is flexible and allows the pins 8 to moveoutward as the towel is forced beneath them, which may be done by asimple side movement of the towel or by a combined side and end movementof the towel.

In Fig. III the rollers 6 turn on a spring arbor-rod 9, whose outer endshave bearing in slots 10, so that these ends of p the rollers may moveinward to admit a towel between the rollers and the pins 8, the latterbeing capable of springing outward. The elasticity of the rod forces therollers 6 against the towel.

In Figs. IV and V the central bracket 4 is dispensed with, and therollers 6 turn on a spring-rod 9, whose ends have bearing in slots 10 ofthe brackets 3, so that the rod may move inward, and thus allow the easyinsertion of the towel. In order to hold the towel, spiral springs 11are inserted in the brackets 3, said springs pushing blocks 12'againstthe ends of the arbor-rod 9 and forcing them outward.

In Figs. IV and V the roller-sections 13 are mere distance-tubes to holdthe rollers 6 in place on the arbor-rod.

I have described the parts 6 as rollers; but they may be made in theform of a fixedbar, and if smooth would answer the purpose well andwould be a substantial equivalent.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a towel-rack, the combination of a bar orroller 6 and a pin 8, forced toward each other by a spring, said pinbeing disconnected atone end, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The combination, in a towel-rack, of a bar or roller 6 and pin 8,having bearing in or connected to brackets, said pin being disconnectedat one end, and a spring device, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

3. The combination, inatowel-rack, of the board or strip 1, the brackets3 and 4, bar or rollers 6, and pins 8,having free ends projecting towardeach other, substantially as .set forth.

4. The combination, in a towel-rack, of the

